Rotatable bin



Maly 24, 193s.

A. W. MU ELLER ROTATABLE BIN Filed oct. 16, 193e 35 tate.

Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED STATES I 2,118,444- ROTATABLE BI'N ArthurW. Mueller, Cincinnati, hio, assighnor to The Frick-Gallagher Mfg; Co.,Wellston, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application october 16, 1936, serial No. 105,910

8 Claims.

This invention relates to rotatable bins having removable dividers andhas for its object t provide means biasing said dividers to a positionin which each is held securely fastened to the bottom of a bin section.

Another object is to provide means for quickly and easily inserting orremoving a divider whereby a bin section may be readily changed oradapted to the desired purpose.

1'0 Removable dividers have been suggested for bin sections but theyhave been diflicultly removable. One suggestion contemplated their beingheld in position by nuts yand bolts which took substantial time to applyand tighten or to re- '15 move. Another suggestion was for a pair ofPIO- jection recess connections between the bin Section bottom and thelower flange on a removable divider, such connections being engaged onradially outward movement of said divider, and a snap type fastener wasused for holding the divider in its engaged position. This lastconstruction contemplated having to laterally bend or flex the top edgeof the removable divider, which was not always easy, especially if aload precluded such lateral bending. Also if the load Was so arranged asto be in danger of flexing the divider unintentionally, the snapfastener may become disengaged and the divider Work loose. In order toavoid these difliculties the' present in- 30 vention has providedgreater ease of operation.

VSpecifically this invention includes a rotatable bin section having abottom portion secured to a sleeve which is mounted on a centralsupporting post about which the section and sleeve may ro- There areremovable dividers radially arranged and provided with a flangecontiguous the bin section bottom, there being fastening means betweenthe divider ange and bin section bottom which is so constructed as to beengaged '40 and disengaged on radial movement of the divider withrespect to the bin section bottom. In order to bias the divider radiallyin a direction to keep said fastening means engaged, there is provided aspring or other means cooperating with the divider and sleeve forpressing the divider into a position in which said fastening means areheld in engagement. Y

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a portionof a rotatable bin sectionembodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a removable divider prior to its beingsecured in position.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the leaf springs for each removable divider.

As is customary in the constructionof rotatment.

able bins, there isprovided a central supporting y.post I0, .about whicha sleeve or abutment I'I is 'mounted on ball bearings I2 for rotation,said ball bearings being supported by a pin I3 or other convenientmeans. Secured by welding to the- 5 rotatable sleeve II is the binsection bottom I4.

Each permanent divider I5 has an inner ange I6 welded to the sleeve IIand a bottom iiange I'I spot welded to the bin section bottom I4.

A flange I8 is bent up around the periphery of 10 the binsection bottom.Between pairs of ypermanent dividers I5 are mounted the removable binfronts I9 which are preferably secured to the permanent dividers and tothe bin section bottom as described in my previous applicatiomm SerialNumber 58,071 (Pat. No. 2,086,508) for Rotatablebin, led January 8,1936'.

Between the permanent dividers may be mounted one or more removabledividers 2| each having a bottom iiangel 22 provided therein with0recesses 23 adapted to receive the stamped up projections '24 on the-binsection bottom. Each movable divider is secured in positionv byinserting the recesses 23 over th'e projections 24 and vthen moving thedivider radially outwardly .1 25 enough to maintain the projectionsengaged over the top of the bottom flange 22 as shown in Fig.

2. The front or outer edge ofeach removable divider may be cut away asat 25 to clear the up-turned iiange I8. 30

The top edge 26 of each permanent andremovable divider is reenforced byan attached bit yor by bending over some of the metal to form astiffening ange. Such top edge is generally unsupported and out ofcontact with any super-1 35 posed bin section. 'I'he inner edge 26a ofeach removable divider is held by the guide means or divider locator 2lwhich is riveted or welded to the sleeve II and notched as indicated sothat the upper inner edge portion of a removable divider is retainedagainst lateral fiexure. Below theholding device 21 is a spring means ordivider locator 28 for pressing the removable divider radiallyoutward tomaintain the projection and recessY connecting means 23 and 24 inengagea 45 vThis spring means includes a number of leaf springs 28securely held` to an attaching piece 29 by astam'ped out strip 30beneath which the several leaf springs are inserted, the strip 29 beingwelded or riveted to the sleeve II. Each leaf spring is curved upwardlyand outwardly and its upper end portion notched at 3| as shown in Figs.3 and 4 to receive one of the removable dividers. The radial movementvof a removable divider is not largeso the upper end. of the spring.;

28 engaging a removable divider is not required to be distorted to anysubstantial extent.

To engage or attach a removable divider the inner edge portion 26a. isinserted in the desired notch of the guide means 21 and in the desirednotch of the appropriate spring finger 28. By slight inward pressure onthe divider against the spring 28 the holes 23 are brought intoengagement for the projections 24.

The spring 28 may be strong enough to push the movable -divider radiallyoutward to the position shown in Fig. 2 or, if desired, such radiallyoutward movement may be applied manually and the spring 28 only str-ongenough to maintain the divider in this position, but preferably thespring 28 is made strong enough to push the removable divider forwardinto its engaged position. In Fig. 1 the bin section bottom is shown asbeing provided with a number of projections 24, the number depending onthe number of removable dividers which mightV be desired. Saidprojections 24 are relatively low and substantially rigid so they arenot in danger of being out of shape or of offering any serious obstacleto the storage of whatever materials may be kept in the bin sectionabove such projections 24 in case there is no removable divider engagingthese projections.

I claim:

1. In a rotatable bin, a bin section bottom, a central supporting postabout the axis of which said bin section bottom is adapted to rotate, aremovable upstanding divider having its top edge unsupported and theloWer edge provided with a flange contiguous the bin section bottom,means for fastening the iiange to the bin section bottom against lateralmovement, the fastening means being shaped so that it is engaged anddisengaged by relative sliding between said divider and bin sectionbottom, and yieldable means held with respect to said bin section bottomand cooperating with said divider toI urge the same into position withsaid fastening means engaged.

2. In a rotatable bin, a bin section bottom, a central supporting postabout the axis of Which said bin sectio-n bottom is adapted to rotate, aremovable upstanding divider having its top edge unsupported yand thelower edge provided with a fiange contiguous the bin section bottom,means for fastening the flange to the bin section bottom against lateralmovement, the fastening means being shaped so that it is engaged anddisengaged by relative sliding between said divider and bin sectionbottom, and yieldable means held with respect to said bin section bottomand cooperating with said divider to urge the same into position withsaid fastening means engaged, said yieldable means being a springengaging an edge portion of said divider.

3. In a rotatable bin, a bin section bottom, a central supporting postabout the axis of which said bin section bottom is adapted to rotate, aremovable upstanding divider having its top edge unsupported and thelower edge provided with a flange contiguous the bin section bottom,projection and recess means for fastening the fiange to the bin sectionbottom, the projection and recess fastening means being shaped so thatsaid fastening means is engaged and disengaged by relative radialsliding between said divider and bin section bottom, and yieldable meansheld with resp-ect to said bin section bottom and cooperating with saiddivider to urge the same into position with said fastening meansengaged, a

rotatable sleeve about said post and movable with said bin sectionbottom, said yieldable means being a spring engaging the inner edge ofsaid divider, and divider guide means carried by said sleeve above saidspring.

4. In a rotatable bin, abin section bottom, a central supporting postabout the axis of which said bin section bottom is adapted to rotate, aremovable upstanding divider having its top edge unsupported and thelower edge provided with a liange contiguous the bin section bottom,projection and recess means for fastening the flange to the bin sectionbottom, the projection and recess fastening means being shaped so thatsaid fastening means is engaged and disengaged by relative radialsliding between said divider and bin section bottom, and yieldable meansheld with respect to said bin section bottom and cooperating with saiddivider to urge the same into position with said fastening meansengaged, a rotatable sleeve about said post and movable with said binsection bottom, said yieldable means being a spring carried by thesleeve and engaging the inner end of the divider, a removable bin frontclosing the space between dividers, said bin front being secured at itsends to permanent dividers, said permanent dividers having bottomflanges welded to the bin section bottom and also welded to said sleeve.

5. A rotatable bin section having a supporting post, a sleeve rotatablearound said post, a bin section bottom secured to said sleeve, aplurality of removable upstanding dividers, securing means between eachdivider and the bin section bottom, adapted to be engaged by radialoutward movement of said divider, a plurality of springs between saidremovable dividers and sleeve for cooperation with the inner edge ofsaid dividers, said plurality of springs including an arcuate stripwelded to said sleeve and having slits forming a strap holding saidplurality of leaf springs at their ends adjacent said sleeve, theopposite end of each leaf spring being bent radially outward and slottedto receive an inner edge of a divider.

6. In a rotatable bin, .a bin section bottom, a central supporting postabout which said bin section bottom is adapted to rotate, a removableyupstanding divider having its top edge unsupported and the lower edgeprovided with a flange contiguous the bin section bottom, a sleevearound said post and secured to said bin section bottom, fastening meansbetween said divider Vflange and the bin section bottom, constructed tobe engaged and disengaged on radial movement of said divider withrespect to said bottom, and means cooperating with said divider andsleeve for holding said divider in position with said fastening meansengaged, said last mentioned means being a leaf spring fastened to saidsleeve. Y

'7. A rotatable shelf comprising a bottom portion, a sleeve fixed tosaid bottom portion and adapted to rotate about an axis through saidsleeve, a removable divider, securing means cooperating with said bottomportion and said divider for holding said divider against lateralmovement with respect to said bottom portion, and securing meanscooperating with said sleeve for holding the inner edge of said divideragainst substantially lateral movement with respect to said sleeve, saidlast mentioned means including a pair of spaced notched divider locatorson said upper inner end portion of the same divider, at least one ofsaid securing means being engaged on movement of said divider at leastto some extent radially of said bottom portion, and at least one ofvsaid securing means when engaged holding some part of said divideragainst upward motion thereof away from said bottom porti-on.

portion, a divider extending between said sleeve and front portion,means for applying at least some compressive stress longitudinally ofsaid divider and yieldably clamping the same between said sleeve andfront portion, said divider being held adjacent said bottom portion, andmeans holding said divider against lateral movement thereof andincluding a notched portion in said sleeve into which the inner edge ofsaid divider is received.

ARTHUR W. MUELLER.

